When it comes to churches and religion, Melbourne is certainly a city with much to shout about. There is an extraordinary selection of places of worship peppered around the city, ranging from intimate venues to a couple of magnificent cathedrals.
St. Patrick's Cathedral serves as Melbourne's Roman Catholic Archdiocese and lies in the central core of the city, in between Parliament Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens, across from the Park Hyatt Hotel. Just a short walk away and next to Federation Square, the Yarra River and Chapter House Lane, St. Paul's Cathedral is the metropolitan church of the Anglican Diocese. Flinders Street Station is located extremely nearby, for those arriving here by train.
St. Patrick's CathedralAddress: Cathedral Place, Melbourne, Victoria (VIC), Australia AU
Tel: +61 (0)3 9667 0377
Building of the grand Roman Catholic cathedral began in 1858 and was finally completed more than 80 years later. With stunning neo-Gothic style architecture, St. Patrick's overlooks the city centre and provides a popular, peaceful place of worship and prayer.
The cathedral is closely associated with Irish Catholicism in Australia, with many of the earliest immigrants originating from Ireland.
Open: Monday to Friday - 06:30 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday - 07:15 to 19:30
Admission: free
St. Paul's CathedralAddress: Flinders Street / Swanston Streets, Melbourne, Victoria (VIC), Australia AU
Tel: +61 (0)3 9650 3791
Completed and consecrated in 1891, St. Paul's Cathedral quickly became the headquarters of Melbourne's Anglican faith and is today regarded as one of the city's most important buildings. Featuring particularly elaborate architecture, statues, patterned floor tiles and a highly decorated interior, St. Paul's was designed by William Butterfield, famous for his strong Gothic Revival style in England. Outside you will find an impressive statue of Matthew Flinders, famous for becoming the first sailor to circumnavigate the Australian coastline during the early 19th century.
Open: daily - 07:00 to 19:00
Admission: free
St. Peter's Church
Address: Albert Street / Nicholson Streets, Melbourne, Victoria (VIC), Australia AU
The centrally located St. Peter's Church was built in the mid-19th century and two years after it was completed, Melbourne was proclaimed a city from its very steps. Now one of the oldest buildings in the city, St. Peter's Church is located at the top end of Parliament Gardens, where it boasts impressive architecture, many period features and detailed carvings.
Open: daily
Admission: free
Blackburn North Baptist Church
Address: 4 Dale Court, Blackburn North, Melbourne, Victoria (VIC), 3130, Australia AU
Tel: +61 (0)3 9890 7999
The Blackburn North Baptist Church, in the suburbs of the city, is a popular community place of worship with regular services. Other attractions here include impressive architecture, choir concerts, a crèche for young children and services in a number of different foreign languages.
Open: daily
Admission: free
Glen Waverley Uniting Church
Address: Bogong Avenue, Glen Waverley, Melbourne, Victoria (VIC), 3150, Australia AU
Tel: +61 (0)3 9560 3580
Glen Waverley Uniting Church, on the outskirts of Melbourne, is an important family church, strongly committed to the community. With a number of seasonal events, regular services, a well-attended Sunday School, a Youth Club and religious groups, the Glen Waverley Uniting is one of the most noteworthy religious venues in this area of the city.
Open: Monday to Friday - 06:30 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday - 07:15 to 19:30
Admission: free
Other churches and religious buildings in and around central Melbourne include:
- 1st Church of Christian Science
Address: 9 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Albert Park and Port Melbourne Baptist Church
Address: Richardson Street, Albert Park, Victoria, Australia - Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
Address: The Anglican Centre, 209 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Australian Council of Churches
Address: 306 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Baptist Church of Victoria
Address: 170-174 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Buddhist Centre
Address: 141 Queen Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Caulfield Hebrew Congregation
Address: 572 Inkerman Road, Caulfield, Victoria, Australia - Central Chinese Baptist Church
Address: 524-530 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Chinese Mission Church
Address: 119-125 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Church of Christ
Address: 333 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Church of Scientology
Address: 42 Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - City Mosque
Address: 66-68 Jeffcott Street, West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Holy Cross Australian Orthodox Mission
Address: 261 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Lutheran Church of Australia
Address: 20 City Road, Southbank, Victoria, Australia - Overseas Chinese Christian Church of Melbourne
Address: 194 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Sassoon Yehuda Sephardi Synagogue
Address: 79 Hotham Street, East St Kilda, Victoria, Australia - Scots Church
Address: 99 Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - St Augustines Church
Address: 631 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - St Francis Church
Address: 326 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - St James Old Cathedral
Address: King and Batman Streets, West Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - St Johns Southgate
Address: Upper Level, 20 City Road, Southbank, Victoria, Australia - St Michaels Uniting Church
Address: 120 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Swanston Street Church of Christ
Address: Swanston and Little Lonsdale Streets, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - The Uniting Church of Australia Victorian Synod
Address: 130 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Uniting Church Centre
Address:130 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church
Address: Elizabeth and Latrobe Streets, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Wesley Uniting Church
Address: 148 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - West Melbourne Baptist Church
Address: 4 Miller Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - 1st Church of Christian Science
Address: 340 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - All Saints Church
Address: King William Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Brighton Baptist Church
Address: 164 Bay Street, Brighton, Victoria, Australia - Carlton Mosque
Address: 765 Drummond Street, Carlton, Victoria, Australia - Coburg Islam Merkezi
Address: 31 Nicholson Street, Coburg East, Victoria, Australia - Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Church
Address: 186 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Fitzroy Mosque
Address: 144 Fitzroy Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia - German Lutheran Trinity Church
Address: 22 Parliament Place, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Hare Krishna Temple
Address: 197 Danks Street, Albert Park, Victoria, Australia - Holy Trinity Chapel
Address: Trinity College Chapel, Royal Parade and The Avenue, Parkville, Victoria, Australia - Holy Trinity Church
Address: 162 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Address: 2 Leeds Street, Footscray, Victoria, Australia - Holy Trinity Orthodox Church
Address: Royal Parade and The Avenue, Parkville, Victoria, Australia - Holy Virgins Protection
Address: 6 Oxford Street, Collingwood, Victoria, Australia - Korean Baptist Church
Address: 481 Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick, Victoria, Australia - Korean Church of Melbourne
Address: 23-27 Glendearg Grove, Malvern, Victoria, Australia - Melbourne Buddhist Centre
Address: 1 Pitt Street, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia - Melbourne City Synagogue
Address: 488 Albert Street, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Montefiore Homes Synagogue
Address: 619 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Odiyana Buddhist Centre
Address: 14 Auburn Grove, Hawthorn East, Victoria, Australia - Prahran Mosque
Address: 16 Kent Street, Prahran, Victoria, Australia - Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple
Address: 52 Boundary Road, Carrum Downs, Victoria, Australia - South Melbourne Uniting Church
Address: 325 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Port Melbourne Uniting Church
Address: Nott and Bridge Streets, Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - St Eustathios Church
Address: 221 Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - St Johns Lutheran Church
Address: 20 City Road, Southbank, Victoria, Australia - St Vasilios
Address: 15 Staley Street, Brunswick, Victoria, Australia - Swedish Church
Address: 21 St Georges Road, Toorak, Victoria, Australia - Temple Beth Israel
Address: 76-82 Alma Road, St Kilda, Victoria, Australia - The Ukrainian Catholic Church
Address: 35 Canning Street, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Tibetan Buddhist Society
Address: 27 Haywood Street, Beaumaris, Victoria, Australia - Tibetan Buddhist Society
Address: 1425 Mickleham Road, Yuroke, Victoria, Australia - Joss House Chinese Temple
Address: Emu Point, Bendigo
